By Chinyere Anyanwu
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has expressed fears over the rising of cost of fertilisers across the country, and the non-release of the PFI 20:10:10 fertiliser and its price for the 2021 farming season.
The association is concerned that despite the approaching rainy season farming, the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI), whose intervention in the last four years has helped to bring succour to farmers in form of fertiliser provision at subsidised rate, is yet to release the commodity and its price.
In a statement at the weekend, the association’s National President, Kabir Ibrahim, said, “we are fearful that the fertiliser will not be readily available and affordable as in the last four years due to delays in releasing the new price and the commodity itself.”
Ibrahim noted that the commodity, which farmers used to get through the PFI at the subsided rate of N5,500 prior to the COVID-19 period and N5,000 following the pandemic, is now selling for between N6,700 and N8,000 for NPK and N8,800 to N13,000 for Urea in various states of the country.
According to him, “Nigeria is already experiencing skyrocketing prices of food crops, serious food inflation, and coupled with the skyrocketing prices of fertilisers, the situation of food availability and affordability will exacerbate.
“Farmers in some states in the South East have commenced production in earnest without any subsidy reaching them and fear that by the time the PFI fertiliser arrives it might be too late for any application to their crops.”
The AFAN leader, while urging that PFI should be encouraged and allowed to continue its work promptly in order to avert the imminent food crises in the country, called for President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in the matter to assist farmers.